12 Facts on Genetics in the 21st Century for a Research Paper

The human genome is becoming one of the biggest talks of the 21st century.

This guide should help you tremendously in writing a research paper based on 12 facts on genetics in the 21st century. Just so you know, our second guide discusses 20 topics on the subject and a sample research paper at the end. Finally, the last guide in the series explains how to properly write a research proposal on genetics.

Let’s discuss 12 fascinating facts on genetics in 21st century backed by references so that you can write a great research paper on the topic of “Genetics”.

A detailed study on British people revealed that 30% of their DNA is identical to the ancestors (Anglo-Saxons) of modern day Germans. Other DNA samples from British people is also connected to the French (40%), Belgians (9%) and Danes (11%). Professor Peter Donnelly claims he has never seen such an exquisite and fascinatingly detailed research on human genetics as this one.

Did you know that cheetahs are clones of one another? Studies on their genes showed that nearly all species of cheetahs died in the last ice-age. Modern cheetahs are just descendants of surviving cats who had interbred to keep their species from extinction.

On average, the human eye can see 1 million colors. However, a small percentage of people can actually detect 99 million more colors than the average person. Imagine how beautiful and vibrant the world might be through their eyes.
To describe this phenomenon, you have to understand what “cone-cells” are. Cone-cells are what makes us see colors. Cone-cell is capable of perceiving 100 colors. Humans have three kinds of cone-cells which makes us trichromats and grants the ability to perceive 1 million colors (1003). But some women, through genetic mutation, can become tetrachromats and develop four types of cone-cells which gives them the ability to perceive 100 million colors.

You should be aware of what “In Vitro Fertilization” is. It’s a great phenomenon where an egg is fertilized with a sperm outside the body i.e. in glass (vitro). This is where the name came from. In this procedure, you can choose the gender of your child and prevent any kind of inherited diseases or other genetic defects from happening.

There has been a recent research (which has surprised genome scientists) in which a giant virus “Pandoravirus” was discovered; 93% of the genes are a complete mystery and scientists don’t know how or where it originated from, or any cellular lineage that can be traced back. Biologists have considered it NLF (new life form), classifying it as a 4th domain of life.

Do you know why some people are capable of fighting off malaria easily while some are immune to severe symptoms of this illness?
This is actually because they are residing in malaria infested places where a genetic mutation “Sickle Cell Anemia” takes place. However, this mutation is an adaptive advantage only if one of the two alleles of sickle-cell disease are found in a person.

In 1994, when one person had gotten trapped in a car accident, an important genetic discovery was made. This is because so-called victim involved in the car crash barely had any kind of fracture in his bones.
Through the wisdom of human genome, it was found that he actually had a genetic mutation which caused his bones density to be eight times higher than an average male of his age. When an extensive study was conducted, it was found that there are other families that had denser bones than average and never had a broken bone in their life. This mutation is considered the “Holy Grail” for osteoporosis studies and scientists are researching and producing an avalanche of information on this mutation, so people can get permanent relief from bone fragility and deficiency.

If you have hated the taste of brassica genus plants like broccoli or cabbage then there may be a scientific reason to it. A research has revealed that some vegetables contain identical chemical similarities to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), which is a chemical that is either tasteless or tastes a bit bitter, depending on the genetic makeup of a person.

Did you know that bananas were multi-seed fruits that were not as readily edible? You don’t see this in modern-day bananas because they are genetic hybrids.
Humans have interceded in changing the flavor and texture of bananas by crossing two kinds of this fruit: musa balbisiana and musa acuminata. This resulted in a soft texture and irresistible flavor whereas the original fruit was rather unappetizing and had a hard feel and texture to it.

In 2005, it was discovered by the University of Liverpool that 10% of Europeans had a genetic mutation which made them resistant to HIV viruses. This genetic mutation was dubbed CCR5-Delta 32. According to the discovery, the mutation originated during the middle ages when Europeans were victims to a pool of different plagues.

About 120 years ago, only 20% people were able to live for 70 years. Today, more than 80% of the people (belonging to rich and developed countries) will live to see the world past 70 years. However, there is only one person in history who has been documented to live for 120 years.
This led science to believe that there may be a limit to how long we can life.
When a study was conducted, it was theorized that due to genetic coding, human bodies may be incapable of outliving 120 years. According to the research, the genetic code of the human body limits how much our cells can divide. If the code can somehow be removed from our bodies, we may never die.

There is an abundance of genetic information that scientists know nothing of. About 40% to 50% of our GI tract genetic information is still unknown. It is impossible to classify this as yet because it doesn’t match any kind of genetic pool; not plant, fungus, animal, virus or bacteria. Biologists have named it, “Biological Dark Matter”.

We’re sure you found these facts quite interesting and relevant to your essay. Head on to the second guide where you’ll have at least 20 genetics topics to choose from. At the end of that guide, you’ll also find a sample research paper on genetics, which should make writing a research paper on the subject easier and more precise.

References:

Hannah Devlin, March 2015. “Genetic Study Reveals 30% of White British DNA Has German Ancestry” The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/18/genetic-study-30-percent-white-british-dna-german-ancestry

Melissa Cronin, Jun 2012. “Tetrachromatic ‘Supervision’ May Help Some Women See 100 Million Colors” The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/27/tetrachromatic-super-vision-women-100-million-colors_n_1631480.html

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